Critical Essay

“All countries need to review their strategies now.” – Dr. Michael J. Ryan (WHO Informal
Advisory Group Member, 2020). World Health Organization has challenged every country and
its governing bodies to prepare for the worst. First cases were reported to have originated in
Wuhan City, China. Authorities from China had identified that the cases were onset of symptoms
during December of 2019 and some of the earliest known cases was said to have originated from
a food market in China. Funny that many from the internet have speculated that the virus came
from bats being eaten by locals from Wuhan, China. Wuhan being known as the city that has
huge variety of street foods to offer was accused for serving food that many believed were the
reason COVID – 19 was ‘invented.’
To go pass the humorous side, accounts have enlightened the people that the coronavirus is 96%
genetically identical to what was discovered to what bats used to have. Some have questioned in
relation to the creation of COVID – 19 that is it somewhat of a biological weapon? No such
evidence were presented to conclude that COVID – 19 was indeed developed by scientists from
God knows where. Moving on, with what has been newly introduced to various health
organizations in countries like our very own, it is indeed a challenge formed to unite what was
once differences and throw down old rivalries especially amongst countries. In line,
organizations and institutes that focuses and works on the fields of medicine and health – welfare
is the new front – liners in taking down this said diseases. One of the known groups that worked
under our health organization, DOH (Department of Health) and the IATF (Inter – Agency Task
Force) was the leading institute that would do their best to contain various diseases like the
Novel Corona Virus.
Inter – Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases was established in 2014 to respond
to possible health and welfare concerns. With the Novel Coronavirus introduced to the world,
many were not ready for what was to come after the discovery of the said disease on December
2019, hence the new name COVID – 19. Back then, the virus actually existed way before we
even know but this new kind left a shock and fear for the hearts of the many. The new corona
virus could infect anyone at any age by simply breathing in the virus within someone who we
don’t know has the disease. The mere fact that anyone could be infected by the simplest of
matter only contributes to the fear that already has been instilled in our hearts.
It can be seen that the preparedness of IATF was on the side of unpreparedness when during the
first weeks or so of lockdown, cases of COVID-19-affected individuals rose dramatically from
two digits to a few hundreds. It would seem that our institute was too assured the disease could
easily be handled but they were wrong to belittle this disease that now has claimed nearing 9,000
total deaths. Although we could not blame our officials for their short – comings, it would
always be up to us to live up to the job to restore faith in our humanity. On the better side as
well, IATF has done its best to contain the number of recoveries from the disease by
implementing lockdown between cities that requires only one for every member of the family to
go out for needs. These small implementations played a good role in reducing the risk of people
acquiring the virus, going to show that IATF did their best to contain the cases. In – lined with
the Department of Health and World Health Organization, the IATF was able to reconsider
actions such as the simplicity of providing medical supply required for Covid – 19 to be used to
further study the behaviour of the new virus. The actions also implemented by the IATF that
required the lockdown of inter-cities didn’t had the utmost chance to be effective if it wasn’t for
the scientific community that helped in developing evidence needed by IATF themselves. These
members of the said community was from various working groups from Philippine Council for
Health Research and Development, Department of Science and Technology, and Ateneo de
Manila University FASSSTER Team, Philippine Institute for Development Studies, Volunteer
Group from Asian Institute of Management and UP College of Medicine, University of the
Philippines-Manila College of Public Health, Epimetrics, Inc .and Volunteers from the Ateneo
School of Medicine and Public Health. Because of the attitude of working together, it has
surprisingly resulted into increase of firmness from each member’s effort in establishing outputs.
urning to the heavy load of effects that was given by the COVID – 19 to the Philippines, The
2019 COVID-19 sickness (COVID-19) pandemic represents a danger to social orders' emotional
wellness. This examination analyzed the predominance of mental indications and recognized the
elements adding to mental effect in the Philippines. According to conducted surveys by various
companies, Gathered information included socio-socioeconomics, wellbeing status, contact
history, COVID-19 information and concerns, careful steps, data needs, the Depression, Anxiety
and Stress Scales (DASS-21) and the Impact of Events Scale-Revised (IES-R) evaluations.
These goes to show just how highly affecting an unknown disease could be to the mental health
of people. This pandemic caused the problems with the way of life people used to live, every
movement could be costly for them and because of the limitation with what they were used in
doing resulted in these unwanted accounts of disease, making manners only worse.
The time eventually came for various institutes especially the government and its commander in
chief to showcase what they could do to save their people. President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the
lockdown and types of quarantine for the past few months and to achieve such conclusion would
not be possible if it wasn’t for what the IATF and other mentioned scientific groups discoveries.
In relation to the implementations of President Duterte, the public has requested for mass testing
to be done in order to know who and which is which that are highly active in infectious disease
and asymptomatic or presymptomatic to COVID – 19. For scientific terms, the mass testing is a
review that shall be conducted by the uses of Medical analysis, Retrieval of data especially
online, with the publication of details regarding the testing results are employed. Ever since the
lockdown became a less tighter and strict, as an own witness, various Filipinos are back on their
normal, everyday life as mostly members of the working force. This is the case when economy is
also affected hugely by this unwanted disease and it only becomes worse when others would talk
how they were very much affected. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused direct effects on pay
because of unexpected losses, working environment non-appearance, and decrease in
profitability and has made a negative stockpile stun, with assembling gainful action easing back
down because of worldwide production network disturbances and terminations of plants.
World Health Organization and Department of Health promotes holistic mental health to battle
personal issues amidst the pandemic. The Department of Health (DOH), in association with the
World Health Organization (WHO), is together bringing issues to light on the significance of
public psychological wellness, particularly in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the
fact that the Philippines has reliably positioned in the Top 5 of a worldwide good faith file, the
National Center for Mental Health (NCMH) has uncovered a huge expansion in month to month
hotline calls with respect to discouragement, with numbers ascending from 80 calls pre-
lockdown to almost 400. Around the world, the weakest populace is those matured 15-29.
Psychological well-being connected passing’s are likewise the subsequent driving reason for
fatalities in this age gathering. These numbers delineate the requirement for additional
discussions and projects that will break the shame around emotional well-being. Most occasions,
Filipinos don't feel good sharing their emotional well-being difficulties inspired by a paranoid
fear of estrangement or bias.
Until now, we have discovered it is perhaps the best test to individuals in battling against
Coronavirus in the set of experiences, since SARS-CoV-2 is unique in relation to SARS-CoV
and MERS-CoV regarding organic highlights and contagiousness, and furthermore found the
control methodologies including the non-drug general wellbeing estimates actualized in China
are compelling and effective. To forestall a possible pandemic-level episode of Coronavirus, we,
as a network of shared future for humanity, prescribe for all worldwide pioneers to help
readiness in low and center pay nations particularly, take solid worldwide intercessions by
utilizing old methodologies or new instruments, prepare worldwide assets to prepare medical
clinic offices and supplies to ensure baneful diseases and to give individual defensive
apparatuses, for example, facemask to all inclusive community, and rapidly start research
ventures on medication and antibody improvement. We likewise prescribe for the global network
to grow better coordination, collaboration, and solid fortitude in the joint endeavors of battling
against Coronavirus spreading suggested by the joint mission report of the WHO-China
specialists, against disregarding the Worldwide Wellbeing Guideline (WHO, 2005), and against
disparagement, to ultimately win the fight against our shared adversary — Coronavirus.
References:
 DOH THANKS SCIENCE COMMUNITY: IATF DECISION TO EXTEND ECQ IS
EVIDENCE-BASED. DOH Page. Retrieved from: https://www.doh.gov.ph/doh-press-
release/DOH-THANKS-SCIENCE-COMMUNITY-ATF-DECISION-TO-EXTEND-
ECQ-IS-EVIDENCE-BASED
 Maramag, G. (2020) DOH and WHO promote holistic mental health wellness in light of
World Suicide Prevention Day. World Health Organization. Retrieved from:
https://www.who.int/philippines/news/detail/10-09-2020-doh-and-who-promote-holistic-
mental-health-wellness-in-light-of-world-suicide-prevention-day
 MASS TESTING PUSHED TO REVIVE PHILIPPINE ECONOMY (2020) DOH Page.
Retrieved from: https://www.doh.gov.ph/node/23516
 Valentic, S (2020, March 12) 8 Quotes from the World Health Organization's COVID-19
Media Briefing. EHS Today. Retrieved from: https://www.ehstoday.com/health/media-
gallery/21126031/8-quotes-from-the-world-health-organizations-covid19-media-briefing
 Cyranoski, D (2020, June 05) The biggest mystery: what it will take to trace the
coronavirus source. Nature. Retrieved from: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-
020-01541-z